What is Microsoft announcing today?
Today we are updating the roadmap for the next version of Silverlight, which will now be called Silverlight 2.0 (formerly Silverlight 1.1). We also announced that the upcoming release of a Silverlight 2.0 Beta with a Go-Live in Q1 2008. The Go-Live license enables developers to begin building and deploying Silverlight 2.0 applications, as well as extend existing applications. We also announced an upcoming preview of ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions.
Why is Microsoft changing Silverlight 1.1 to Silverlight 2.0?
The next version of Silverlight will be rebranded to “Silverlight 2.0,” instead of “Silverlight 1.1.” Microsoft has recalibrated the product direction to align with our customer business needs and feels that 1.1 did not reflect the features and functionality enhancements.
What are some of the new features and functionality of Silverlight 2.0?
There will be Silverlight controls that you can add to your toolbox, and drag onto your design surface, just as you do with ASP.NET. These controls will provide full support for (among other things):
• Layout Management (Stack + Grid): Built in layout management in Silverlight makes it easy for designers and developers to build compelling UX on the Web. Coupling Stack and Grid layout provides the most flexibility and control over layout with the least amount of code required. Layout management supports automatic resize/relayout and more.
• Silverlight 2.0 will include an integrated solution for cross-domain networking, developers will be able to access resources and data from any trusted source on the Web. We are also expanding and improving our media pipeline performance and formats.
IF REQUESTED:
List of controls will include
Button
CheckBox
DataGrid
Hyperlink
ListBox
Modal Popup / Alert
Popup
ProgressBar
RadioButton
ScrollViewer
Slider
TabControl
Canvas layout
FileOpenDialog
Grid layout
Image
ItemsControl (a.k.a. Repeater)
StackPanel layout
TextBlock
TextBox (Single line)
MediaElement
MultiScaleImageElement
Is this the final list of features for Silverlight 2.0?
This is a glimpse at some of the new features Microsoft is working on for Silverlight 2.0. We’ll be providing more details and a comprehensive list of features when the Silverlight 2.0 Beta is released.
When will Microsoft release a final list of features for Silverlight 2.0?
We’ll be providing more details and a comprehensive list of features when the Silverlight 2.0 Beta is released.
What is the significance of the Go Live license?
Go-Live license gives developers and organizations authorization to begin deployment of their applications on pre-RTM code with a certain set of conditions and restrictions
Will it be a public Go Live license?
For non-commercial sites yes. For commercial applications the Go-Live will be available to members of the Silverlight TAP.
When will Silverlight 2.0 RTW?
We haven’t made any announcements about the final release of Silverlight 2.0.
Is Silverlight 2.0 delayed?
We’ve never publicly discussed the final release date for Silverlight 2.0. You’ve heard us talking about quality driven releases, not date driven and that philosophy applies to Silverlight. We’ll provide guidance on the final release timeframe when the time is appropriate.
When will Microsoft provide details on the next version of Silverlight after 2.0?
We are focusing on Silverlight 1.0 and 2.0 for now. We will provide more details when appropriate for our customers and partners.
When will Microsoft support mobile platforms?
Supporting mobile platforms is a priority for future versions Silverlight.
I’m a .NET developer, should I wait for 2.0?
Absolutely not. If you are an ASP.NET developer, there are a lot of things that Silverlight 1.0 can offer to update your ASP.NET web application with Silverlight. With Silverlight 2.0 you will then extend your skill set capabilities.
Will my Silverlight 1.0 applications be compatible when 2.0 comes out?
Yes.
Why is Microsoft releasing two different versions of Silverlight, especially if you can do everything with 1.0 with 2.0? Will they eventually be combined into one Silverlight release?
Silverlight 1.0 is shipping separately so we can provide key customers the stability and support they need to begin delivering fast, cost-effective delivery of high-quality media experiences to all major browsers running on Mac OS or Windows and soon Linux. There is only one Silverlight so all the capabilities of 1.0 will be unified in the 2.0 release.
Are there any third parties using Silverlight 2.0?
We have seen a lot of interest in both Silverlight 1.0 and 2.0 and have a vibrant ecosystem around the Silverlight platform. Please visit
www.silverlight.net to see the gallery of partner and customer applications.
How many downloads of Silverlight 1.0 and Silverlight 2.0 have there been to date?
We are very excited about success of Silverlight 1.0, download numbers continue to be in line with expectations to date.
How have sales of Expression Studio been?
We have seen strong interest in Expression Studio and expect to see this continue as we work toward future releases.
What can we expect from MIX’08 this year? Will the focus be on Silverlight?
At this year’s MIX conference, you can expect to hear more about Silverlight 2.0. More information about the content for MIX08 will be disclosed at a later date. To get the latest MIX related content, subscribe to the VisitMIX RSS feed via the following link:
http://www.visitmix.com/feeds/rss/
DRM PlayReady
Why isn’t PlayReady DRM included in the 1.0 RTW of Silverlight?
Silverlight 2.0 will provide digital rights management support built with Microsoft PlayReady™ content access technology, with feature parity on Windows and Mac.
ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions Preview
What is the ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions Preview?
The ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions Preview provides developers with a glimpse of functionality being added to ASP.NET next year.
When will the Extensions Preview be available?
We are targeting the ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions Preview to be available for download in December.
What are some of the key features of the ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions Preview?
• ASP.NET MVC provides model-view-controller (MVC) support to the existing ASP.NET 3.5 runtime, which enables developers to more easily take advantage of this popular design pattern. Benefits include the ability to achieve and maintain a clear separation of concerns, as well as facilitate clean testing and test driven development (TDD).
• ADO.NET Entity Framework is a new modeling framework that enables developers to define a conceptual model of a database schema that closely aligns to a real world view of the information. Benefits include easier to understand and easier to maintain application code that is shielded from underlying database schema changes.
• ADO.NET Data Services provide new services that find, manipulate and deliver data over the web using simple URI commands. Benefits include an easy and flexible way to access data over the web, while enabling the separation of presentation and data access code.
• ASP.NET Dynamic Data helps developers build a fully customizable, data-driven app quickly. It provides a rich scaffolding framework that allows rapid data driven development without writing code, yet it is easily extendible using the traditional ASP.NET programming model.
• New additions to ASP.NET AJAX includes support for managing browser history (Back button support), improving page performance with better script handling, and linking to specific content on a Web site using permalinks.
• Silverlight controls for ASP.NET makes it easy to integrate the rich behavior of Silverlight into your Web application by using two new ASP.NET server controls: a Media server control that enables you to easily integrate media sources such as audio (WMA) and video (WMV) into your Web application, and a XAML server control that enables you to reference your own XAML and associated JavaScript files.
Will ASP.NET3.5 Extensions eventually ship as part of the next version of Visual Studio or the .NET Framework 3.5?
The exact delivery vehicle for this technology is yet to be determined.
When will ASP.NET 3.5 be released?
ASP.NET 3.5 was released on November 19th, 2007. We haven’t made any announcements regarding the final release of ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions.
